Beornings can now shapechange to bear form.
Bears cannot cast spells, and they have severe restrictions on what
equipment they can use. On the other hand, they are definitely stronger
than Men, and have greater endurance and agility; their bare paws can
cause vicious damage, and they can bash their opponents with their own bulk.
Due to their fearsome appearance, bears appear as *a Bear* to Elves, Dwarves,
Hobbits and non-Beorning Men (unless they're members of the same group).
For the same reason, certain mobiles might be friendly to a Beorning in
human shape and hostile to the same Beorning in bear shape.
In order to change to bear form, use the "metamorph" command (no arguments).
The outcome is not guaranteed: the chance of a successful change depends on
several factors, among which
* level
* distance from the Carrock
* current mana
* time of day
* moon phase
Bears return to human form automatically after some time (which depends
on the same factors as above). A bear can try to "return" to human form
before the time limit expires; failed attempts can cause fatigue.
Beornings fight with little regard to their own life, and they're not used
to wearing shields (they would prevent shapechanging). Therefore, their
ability to parry enemy blows is slightly reduced (compared to other races).
When they find themselves in the Halls of Mandos, Beornings can choose to
be transported to their village of Ingrove, in the Anduin Vale.
Finally, if you have created a Beorning character before MUME VIII, and you
would prefer to remain a common Man rather than a shapeshifter, you can
"tell testbot eriadorian". This choice is irrevocable, so think twice about
it. As a consequence of changing race, you will lose your citizenship in
Anduin Vale (if any) and you will forget most of the languages you have
learned.
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